In a body blow to the British government, reeling from disastrous foreign policy forays in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya, the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf has sided with Argentina, “ratifying the country’s 2009 Report” extending the limit of its territory to include the Falkland Islands, reports the Guardian. (1)
“The UN commission’s finding included the caveat that there is an unresolved diplomatic dispute between Argentina and Britain over the islands.”
Britain is responsible for the Falkland’s defense and foreign affairs.
“This is a historic occasion for Argentina because we’ve made a huge leap in the demarcation of the exterior limit of our continental shelf”, Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra said. “This reaffirms our sovereignty rights over the resources of our Continental Shelf.”
The “resources” which now potentially become Argentina’s include a great deal of oil.
On 2nd April 1982, Britain, under the premiership of Prime Minister David Cameron’s great hero, Margaret Thatcher, embarked on a seventy four day conflict with Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falklands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which lie off the Argentine coast. The conflicts ended on 14th June 1982, with the loss of 649 Argentinian military personnel and 255 British.
So far there has been no comment from the British government.
Given David Cameron’s place in an overwhelming international quagmire, the mess he is in over the unnecessary and feckless looming June referendum which he called over the UK membership of the EU, it seems he would be unlikely to embark on a bankrupting air, sea and land assault 8,002 miles away. However, his knee jerk reactions and ever flawed judgment are such, that all options are possible.
Notes:
- http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/29/falkland-islands-argentina-waters-rules-un-commission
